September 16, 2005 Source: McGill University:
http://www.mcgill.ca/newswire/?ItemID=16799 New cancer research pavilion for McGill Source: University Relations Office (URO) [newswire]
September 16, 2005
Cancer researchers under one roof thanks to new funding The battle against cancer has moved one more step forward thanks to new funding at McGill. The Quebec Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade today announced a $14-million contribution to the McGill Cancer Research Pavilion, bringing together for the first time more than 200 basic cancer researchers, including the McGill Molecular Oncology Group (from the McGill University Health Centre) and the McGill Cancer Centre. This new McGill entity is recognized as the only Groupe de Recherche en Cancer of the Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ). This new facility will be at the forefront of rapidly emerging technology and enable a collaborative effort toward finding new therapies and cures for cancer. "Today, we are celebrating the beginning of a new era in cancer research," says McGill Principal and Vice-Chancellor Heather Munroe-Blum. "Our scientists will have a remarkable centre to propel knowledge and achieve their full potential. With strong support from Quebec, we are again demonstrating that McGill, Montreal and Quebec are leaders in medical science innovation." The new McGill Cancer Research Pavilion will be part of the McGill Life Sciences Complex and provide state-of-the-art facilities, including a tissue bank, histopathology centre, DNA processing facility, and close proximity to the McGill hospitals. The pavilion will also house the offices of the Réseau québécois de recherche en transgenèse. The design of the pavilion will facilitate a multidisciplinary approach to research, with investigators working side by side to examine the interactions between genes and proteins and to determine their roles in animal models of cancer. Professor Michel L. Tremblay, director of the McGill Cancer Centre, is enthusiastic about moving to the new facility. "The McGill Cancer Centre has been one of the most outstanding cancer research centres in Canada for the last 25 years. We are building on a tradition of great discoveries. The new pavilion will facilitate collaboration and as a result, will hasten the pace of discoveries. Research in this facility should lead to the discovery of new targets for cancer detection, prognosis and treatments, which will promote more rapid procedures for tumour detection, less toxic treatments, and a happier and longer life for cancer patients." "Current statistics indicate that one in three people in Quebec will be diagnosed with cancer," says Dr. Jacques Hurtubise, McGill's Vice-Principal (Research). "The funding of the Cancer Research Pavilion represents a positive and proactive effort on the part of all Canadians and Quebecers, if I may borrow from the Canadian Cancer Society, to make cancer history."
Source:
Christine Zeindler
McGill University Relations Office
514-671-9878
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